1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for carrying out a magnetic treatment on a fluid, and more articularly concerns, for example, a magnetic fluid treatment apparatus that is attached on the periphery of a later supply pipe so as to carry out a magnetic treatment on supply water flowing through the pipe.
2. Description of the Related Art
It has been conventionally known that the application of a magnetic field to flowing water in a direction crossing to the flow holds a mineral component quantity in water and stabilizes ions such as chlorine and calcium, etc., so that the ions do not combine with organic substances, and removes scale and sludge, etc., which have been already formed. This is supposedly because when water is subjected to the magnetic treatment, clusters, that is, a mass of water molecules, change in their structure and consequently have a change in their characteristics. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the construction of a conventional magnetic fluid treatment apparatus that is attached to a water supply pipe so as to be used. In the Figure, W represents a water supply pipe made of iron, and two magnetism applying devices 5 are placed adjacent to each other on the peripheral face of the water supply pipe W, with the water supply pipe sandwiched in between. Supply water flowing through the water supply pipe W is subjected to the magnetic treatment by a magnetic field exerted by the magnetism applying devices 5.
Because the two magnetism applying devices S have the same construction, the following description will discuss only one of the magnetism applying devices 5, for convenience of explanation. The magnetism applying device 5 is provided with a permanent magnet 50 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape and two permeable rods 51 made of iron that are in upright positions on both sides in the length direction of the permanent magnet 50. The two permeable rods 51 are extended substantially in parallel with each other, and the distance between the top faces 52 thereof is shorter than the diameter of the water supply pipe W. Each of the top faces 52 is tilted with an angle so as to properly face the peripheral face of the water supply pipe W. The two magnetism applying devices 5 having the above-mentioned construction are placed face-to-face with each other with the water supply pipe W to be magnetically treated being sandwiched in between, and the total four top faces 52 of the permeable rods 51 are placed in the proximity of the peripheral face of the water supply pipe W, and secured on the water supply pipe W with fastening members, not shown.
In the magnetic fluid treatment apparatus having the above-mentioned construction, a magnetic flux generated from the N polarity side of the permanent magnet 50 passes through one permeable rod 51 and is released from the top face 52 so that the magnetic flux supplied to the water supply pipe W is exerted on water flowing through the water supply pipe W (see arrows indicated by solid lines). The magnetic flux progressing forward in the water supply pipe W proceeds to the top face 52 of the other permeable rode 51, and returns to the S polarity side of the permanent magnet 50 through the permeable rod 51. In this path, while the magnetic flux progresses between the top faces 52 of the permeable rods 51, some of the magnetic flux passes through the outer circumferential side of the water supply pipe W without passing through the inner circumferential side of the water supply pipe W, or flows from a midpoint of one of the permeable rods 51 toward the other permeable rod 51, or progresses through a space from the N polarity side of the permanent magnet 50 to the S polarity side thereof without passing through the permeable rod 51 (indicated by white void arrows in the Figure); consequently, so-called magnetic field leakage occurs.
This magnetic field leakage accounts for a great ratio to the magnetic force of the permanent magnet, and even when a permanent magnet having 100,000 Maxwell of the total number of magnetic flux is used, the magnetic force exerted on the water is as small as 1700 gauss to 1900 gauss; and even in the case of a water supply pipe made of brass, it is in the range of approximately 2300 gauss to 2400 gauss. The resulting problem is that it is not possible to apply a sufficient magnetic force to the water. Moreover, in order to insure a sufficient magnetic force (2500 gauss to 4000 gauss) required for a magnetic treatment, the application of a permanent magnet having a great magnetic force is required; this makes the apparatus bulky, resulting in a problem of limited installation place and difficulty in the installation. Furthermore, when the magnetic field leakage is very great, the apparatus cannot be installed in the proximity of the meter, and this also results in a problem of limitation in the installation positions. In addition, because the magnetism applying devices, which are placed face-to-face with the water supply pipe W sandwiched in between, are provided as separate parts, the installation work of these devices involves difficult work with an extra piping job, resulting in a problem of time-consuming tasks.